Visitors to the formidable garrison fortress of Dumbarton Castle will, on Saturday 20th March, be transported back to the troubled times of the 17th century for ‘The Siege – 1640’. This informative, entertaining event will focus on the story of Dumbarton Castle during the Scottish wars of independence, when Covenanters and Royalist troops clashed to gain control of the castles and forts throughout the country which were the backbone of its strategic defences. A series of enlightening presentations involving costumed performers from re-enactment group ‘Fraser’s Dragoones’ will highlight how effectively historical re-enactments can bring these dark days to dramatic life. Visitors will learn about the goals of the two opposing forces and why they were so passionate about their cause. And weaponry displays will demonstrate the combat challenges of fighting with the musket and infantryman’s pike, and the skills required to handle them.

Culture Minister Fiona Hyslop today (Friday) clarified the options for the future of the SV Carrick. The Carrick, also known as the City of Adelaide, is an A-listed ship berthed in Irvine at the Scottish Maritime Museum.

Culture Minister Fiona Hyslop will today (Wednesday) outline how important our traditional building materials are in promoting sustainability and supporting the construction industry in difficult times. Addressing the two-day Building Scotland conference looking at traditional building materials and skills, the Minister also highlighted how the skills used to work and build with these materials are still needed. The Minister said: “We should not underestimate how significant the contribution our historic buildings make to the economy. More than half of the money invested in construction annually goes on existing buildings rather than new builds."

TWO young photographers gave Culture Minister Fiona Hyslop a special sneak preview of their winning images that will soon be seen in more than 40 countries around Europe. Aksel Hampson (7) of St Peter’s RC School and Christian Deeming (11) of Robert Gordon’s College Junior School, both in Aberdeen, showed their winning images to the Minister at Edinburgh Castle today (Tuesday).

Historic Scotland and the Army announce 10 year development plan for Edinburgh Castle

Media Releases

Historic Scotland and the Army are celebrating another milestone in their partnership by announcing a further commitment to work together on a collaborative 10-year development plan on the use of space at Edinburgh Castle and to deliver the best experience for visitors to Scotland's premier attraction.